William Sugg was a slave, and was brought to California during the early days of the Gold Rush.  While most slave owners demanded several months of hard labor in the mines and large sums of money in return for even the possibility of freedom, Sugg was allowed to obtain his emancipation for the price of a single dollar as "an act of benevolence."  His deed of manumission is still on file in county archives.  Sugg met and married Mary Elizabeth Snelling in the Merced area where the wagon trains of both pioneers originally settled. 

After they were married, Mary and William moved to Sonora.  Where they built their home on Theall between Stewart and Shephard Streets. The family owned the home for approximately 125 years.  

The Sugg family became recognized, respected members of the community.  For almost four decades, a portion of the home was used to house overflow guests from the City Hotel and Hotel Victoria (Sonora Inn).  William established a harness-making business and Mary Elizabeth taught home arts such as quilting.  The couple raised and educated eleven children there and together the close-knit family enjoyed music, reading and Bible study. 

With all that has been written about the California Gold Rush, it remains a little known fact that roughly 5,000 African Americans were an integral part of that unprecedented event and an estimated 500 mined in the Tuolumne County area.